Method and means for automatically changing phonograph records



Oct. 22, B G TE METHOD AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CHANGING PHONOGRAPH RECORDS Filed June 25, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 J41 4* j/la 1 11254.

Oct. 22, 1935.

METHOD B. GATES 2,017,898

AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CHANGING PHONOGRAPH RECORDS Filed June 25, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 38 55 A W lid 11kb,

7 klllli/ifbieq 103 443 6M Oct. 22, 1935. GATES 2,017,898

METHOD AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CHANGING PHONOGRAPH RECORDS Filed June 25, 1932 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII B. L. GATES 7 ,017,898 METHOD AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CHANGING PHONOGRAPH RECORDS Filed June 25, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Patented Oct. 22, 1935- UNITED STATES Y PATENT mm METHOD AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CHANGING PHONQGBAPH RECORDS Benjamin L. Gates, Chicago, 111., assignor of one half' to Henry G. Saal, McHenry, Ill.

Application June 25, 1932, set-n1 No. 619,210

9 Claims. (Cl. 274-10) This invention relates to, improvements in a method and means for automatically changing phonograph records and refers particularly to a method and means for reproducing a -plurality or records of all standard sizes in sequence; re-' turning the records to a magazine'after reproduction; repeating the reproduction of a desired record; interrupting the reproduction of a record intermediate its period of reproduction; and

reproducing a. predetermined record in the magazlne without reproducing the preceding records therein.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings andiollowing detail description.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a sectional view tak en on the line l'i of Fig. 3 and illustrates the upper, portion of my machine withthe turntable and magazine removed. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the magazine operating elements.

Fig. 3'is a sectional view taken on the line 3-4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line l-l of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-! of Fig. 3 p

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the-line 6-4 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '1 is a fragmentary side eleva il 'nal view of mydevice illustrating all of the records positioned upon the turntable previous to the return of said records to the magazine.

Fig. 8 is a similar view illustrating the next 85 I sequential operation of the device wherein the records are returnedto the magazinai Fig."l0 is a sectional view taken on the line l0-'-l of Fig. 3. i

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view taken on the line l|- -ll of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a schematic wiring diagram illustrating the electrical connections to the drive motor. Fig. 131: an elevational view takenfrom the 5 opposite side oi. the device to Fig. 8.

Fig.14 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating particularly the record changing, slidabl' 0 gear in operative position. v

Fig. 15 is a similar view illustrating the slidable gear in inoperative position.

i0 is a fragmen ary detail view illustratms the recordtc m a gec anmn n openthe tone arm connecting rod levers.

that in.

rod 311d rod being adapted to move inlongitudi- Fig. 17 is a similar-view illustrating saidmech- -anism in inoperative pomtion.

Fig. 18 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 17 taken at right angles thereto.

Fig. 19 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 iQ-IO of Fig. 2. v

Fig. 20 is a fragmentary top plane detail view of mechanism associated with the record chang-= ing and record returning system.

Fig. 21 1 s a sectional view taken through the in magazine pin on line 2l-2l of Fig. 22.

Fig. 22 is an elevational view of the magazine pin illustrating, the button shifting lever.

Fig. 23 is a transverse sectional view through lii Fig. 24 is a detail top plan view of thetone arm swinging mechanism.

Fig. 253 is an-end view partly in section illustrating a portion of the tone arm lifting mech- Referring particularly to the drawings, i indicates a support or platform upon the upper portion of which a turntable 2 is adapted to be positioned. A motor 3 may be mounted beneath the support I and may be coupled with a speed re- 25 ducing m 4 which may be of conventional construction. A shaft 5 may project upwardly from the-mechanism 4 and is adapted to carry the turntable 2 which may be slidably mounted upon said shaft.

1 so Supports 6 may extendupwardly from the upper surface of the platform I and'may ,be adapted to carry beam I which may be hingedly mounted upon the upper end of 'the supports 6 asshownbestatlinFig. 3. The beam I may -be provided'witma channel or depressed-portion Fig. 9 is a rear elevational view of the device.

9 and a plate l0 may be slidably positioned therein. Two upwardly extending sleeves I i may be formed integral with the plate in and maybe whereas the upper ends' of saidrods may be- Joined by means of bar ll. A collar l5 may be mounted upon the lower face of the plate lli and may extend downwardly from said plate throughaperture ll provided in thebeam I. A fpin I! provided with a longitudinal slot; not,

shown. may be rigidly mounted upon the collar Ii. A lever it may extend downwardly through the collar II and maybe pivoted at is in said collar. the lower end of said lever terminating in 20 carrying'at its lower'end the-button 2i,

slot inthepin n.

Theoperation of this mechanism is such that when the lever I3 is positioned truly vertical, button 2| terminating beneath the pin ll forms a continuation of the cylindrical contour of said pin whereas when lever i3 is canted clockwise, the periphery of the button 2| is offset from the surface of the pin l1 and is disposed in coaxial relationship with respect to shaft 6.-

A lever 22 may be pivotally connected at 23 to an intermediate portion of the lever l3, the arrangement being such that upon longitudinal lever 22 which, in turn, imparts a canting movement to the lever l3 and either positions the button 2| in concentric position with respect to the pin II or offsets said button with W to said pin.

' A support 23 may be positioned between the members 6 as shown best in Figs. 9 and 10, and a shaft 26 may be mounted at one end upon support 23 and at the other upon one of the members 6. The lower end'of the lever 26 may be rotatably mounted upon. the shaft 26 and may be normally impelled forwardly, as viewed in Figures 9 and 10,. by means of spring 33 mounted.

upon collar 3| which, in turn, may be rigidly positioned upon shaft 26. A key 32 may be pivotally connected to the lower end of the lever 26 and is normally impelled by means of spring --33 in a clockwise direction with respect to the pivot point 33. A lever 36 passes upwardly through the platform I and is rotatably mounted at its upper end upon the shaft 26. An intermediate portion of the lever 36 may be provided with a slot 36 into which a finger 31 of the key 32 is adapted to be positioned under the influence of the srping 33. The arrangement is such that normally the key 32 connects the'levers 26 and 36 as a unitary structure. However, as will be hereinafter more fully described under certain conditions it is found desirable to operate each of said levers independently, this mechanism being of importance when it is] desired to repeat the reproduction of a record which is presently playing.

The lever36 may terminate at its lower end I in' arms 33 and 36, the arm 33 carrying follower 36 having inclined surface 3| whereas the arm 36 carries follower 32. V The arms 33 and 33 may be disposed upon each side of cam 33, said cam being provided with an upraised portion 33 upon -the side thereof adjacent the arm- 33 and bolt head 36 upon the side of the cam adjacent the ar'm36. Thearrangementissuchasthecam 33 rotates, the upraised portion 33 of said cam contacts the follower 3 2 and rocks the lever 36 in one direction. whereas the bolt head 36 following in circular travel the upraised portion 33 immediately thereafter, contacts the follower 33 and rocks the lever 36 in the opposite direction. In normal operation the lever 36 and lever 26 are locked together by means ofthe key 32 and, contsequently, the rocking motion imparted by the earn 33 to'theleverflwillbetransmittedtothe of the, shaft 6. record falls downwardly to the turntable 2- wheretached at its upper end to the plate 36.-

leveiin26. thence to the lever 22 and to the member In loading the magazine, the beam 1 may be swung about the hinges 3 and a plurality of records 36 may be threaded upon the pin l1, during the threading operation the button 2| being held in concentric position with respectto the axis of the pin When the records are placed upon the pin the rods |2 being loosely positioned within the sleeves II are raised, the

plate |3 resting upon the uppermost record of the stack. The beam may then be lowered to horizontal position and the records 36 may be maintained upon the pin I1 inasmuch as the shaft 6 is disposed eccentric with respect to the pin l1 and, hence, is eccentrically disposed with respect to the apertures in the records. To re-. lease a record from the stack 36, the lever l6 maybesocanted as tobring the axis-of the button 2| into coincidence with the axis of the shaft 6 and the'thickness of the button 2| is such as to permit but one record, the lowermost record, to be carried to a position wherein the axis of its aperture is coincident with the axis In this position the lowermost 26 as the remaining records are maintained upon the pin I'I due to the eccentric position. ofthe button 2| with respect to said pin.

The record may be dropped to the turntable surface of the platform I and is adapted to support the plate 36 hingedly connected to which is the tone arm. 66 which may carry at its end a pick up or-reproducer 6|.provided with needle 62. A hollow member 63 may be mounted upon the lower face of the platform I and may be disposed coaxially with respect to the collar 36 and a rod 63' may pass upwardly throughthe member 63 and the collar33 and may be rigidly at The lower end of the rod 63' may carry arm 63 upon which may be mounted plate 66. An arm 66 may be pivotally mounted at one and upon the bolt 36 and the opposite end thereof may be slidably positioned within the sleeve 66. A lug 66 65 may be;mounted, upon one face of the arm 66 and is adapted to serve as a stop for the screw 66 threadedly mounted in lug 6| positioned at one end of the sleeve 63. The end of the screw 66 is normally maintained in contact with the surto face of the lug 66 by means of coil spring 62 which is anchored at one end upon the sleeve 63 in theform of a plate 63. At the end of the plate 63 an aperture 33 niay be provided and pin .66 mounted upon the arm 63 is adapted to ex- .tend upwardly through said aperture. A bar 66 -,may be mounted upon the upper face of the 70 member 33 and forms the outer defining edge of the aperture 63 and, as will be hereinafter. more fully described, when reproducing records of the larger size, namely l2 inch records, said bar 66 is adapted to contact the pin 66 tomove the arm 15 54 which, in turn, rotates rod 53 and swings the tone arm 58 to and from operative position upon the record.

In normal playing position, that is, when the tone arm is so disposed as to position the needle 52 upon the outer convolutions of the phonograph record, the pin is positioned in contact with the bar 55 which spans the aperture 84 and the arm 56' is at its outermost dead center position upon the cam 43. As the record is being reproduced and the needle 52 follows the convolutions ing arm 56 and, hence, sleeve 58 in such a manner as to cause the defining edge 81 of the aperture 54 to contact the pin 85 carried by the arm 54. As the rotation of the cam 43 continues, arm 54 is swung in such a. manner as to swin the tone arm 58 outwardly from the outer-periphery of the turntable, in other words, said tone arm is moved to inoperative position.

A plate 58 may be mounted upon the lower surface of the platform I and may extend down? wardly therefrom, said plate being adapted to carry a butterfly mechanism" 69. The butterfly 89 may comprise member 18 which may be pivotally mounted upon the face of the plate 58 at H. The member 18.may comprise arms 12, 13 and 14 and may be provided with a bifurcated extension 15. The cooperating part of the butterfly may comprise plate 16 pivotally mounted upon the plate 88 at 11, said plate 15 carrying pin 18 which may be positioned between the arms of the bifurcated portion 15. The lower edge of the plate 15 may be inclined to the horizontal and may be provided with flange 19 formed at right angles to the face ofthe plate 18. A lug 88 may be provided at the end of the arm 13 and is adapted to serve as an anchorage for one end of coil spring 8!, the opposite end' ofsaid spring being anchored at 82 upon the plate 18.

The arrangement is such that normally thev mechanism occupies'the position shown in full lines in Fig. 6. As will be hereinafter more fully described, aforce applied to the upper surface of the flange 19 'will rotate the plate 15 about the pivot point 11."- By so rotatingplate 18 the member 18 also rotates in the opposite direction about the pivot point 1I until the anchorages 88 and 82 pass outside theline formed by said anchorages and the pivot points 1| and"; in other words, as soon as the mechanism is removed from dead center position, at which period the spring 2; operates to further rotate the members 18 and ii shaft 83- may be rotatably mounted at one end in the lug 84 which, in turn, may be positioned upon the plate 38. Longitudinal motion of said shaft may be prevented by means of the collars 85 and 85 and a pin 81 may project from the face of the collar 85. Said pin, when the butterfly. mechanism is in normal positionis disposedimmediately below the arm 14 and, consequently, when said mechanism is sprung, arm 14 descends in a clockwise direction and contacts pin 8T andthereby rotatesor rocks shaft 83, the shaft being iournalled at its end in the bearing 89.

The plate 55 carries upon the end of the arm 54 may be provided with pins 88 and 8i which extend outwardly from the surface of the plate.

As has been hereinbefore described, the arm 54 and consequently the plate 55', upon movement of the shaft 53, describe arcs proportional to the arc described by the-tone arm 58. When the tone 5 arm is disposed in initial playing position, that is, when the needle initially engages the outer convolutions upon the record, the butterfly mechanism is set in its normal position. As the tone arm 58 swings inwardly toward the center of the record during reproduction of the record, the pin 98 carried upon the plate 55 moves in a path adjacent the upper surface of the flange 19. When the tone arm 58 reaches its flnal playing position upon the record, the pin 98 will have moved into contact with the upper surface of the flange 18 and will rotate the member 16in a counterclockwise direction a sufficient degree to remove the butterfly from its dead center position. As has been hereinbefore described, the remaining mo- 2 tions of the elements 18 and 15 are accomplished by the spring 8| and, hence, it can readily be seen that the tone arm 58 in positioning itself at its flnal playing position upon the record, springs the butterfly which results .in the rocking of the g5 shaft 83 about its longitudinal axis.

' A shaft 92 may extend outwardly from the gear reducing mechanism and may be journalled at its outer end in plate 93 which may be mounted upon the lower face of the platform I and may 30 .at one extremity thereof. Pins 99 may be posi-- tioned upon the surface of shaft 95 and are adapted to extend into the slots 98. By this construc- 40 tion it can readily be seen that the sleeve 91 will be relatively slidable with respect to shaft 95 but willrotate as a unit with said shaft. The opposite end of the sleeve 91 may carry spur gear I88 which, as will be hereinafter more fully described, is adapted to be mashed with the spur gear 94. The sleeve 91 may be provided intermediate its length with an-annulargroove .IM

: into which the bent end I82 of shaft 83 is adapted to extend. v

When'the tone arm 58 swings toward the center of the -record as the record is being reproduced, as has been hereinbefore described, pin 98 carried by plate 55 swings adjacent the upper surface of flange 19 upon plate18; When the tone 55 arm 58 reaches its final playing position at the central portion of the record, pin 98 will have contacted flange 19 so as tgzpring the butterfly mechanism 89. which, in tu rotates the shaft '83. Upon rotation of said shaft, the bent end 00 I82 thereof slides the sleeve 91 longitudinally along the shaft 95. and engages gear I88 with gear 94,. The cam 43 is also mounted upon the shaft 95 and consequently when said engagement takes place, shaft 95 is caused to rotate thereby o5 rotating cam 43. 9

Cam 43 may be provided with an indentation I83 at one portion of its peripheral surface. A

- lever I84 maybe pivotally mounted adjacent the lower surface of the platform I as shown best at 70 mtinFig. 9." One end of the'lever m extends downwardly and carries follower I85 which is adapted to ride upon the surface of the cam 43. The opposite end of said lever may be provided with an adjustable screw I81 which may contact the sleeve 48 and is adapted to contact the lower face of the tone arm ll. 7

Whilea record is being reproduced, which may be considered the normal position of the mechanism constituting my machine, the follower I 03 carried by the lever I04 may be disposed within the indentation I03 of cam 43 and said cam may be stationary, that is, gears 34 and I may be disengaged. When the butterfly mechanism 30 acts to rotate shaft 33 and engage gears I00 and 94, the cam 43 rotates and consequently lever I04 is rotated clockwise thereby exerting an upward thrust upon pin I03 and raising the'tone arm '50 so that the needle carried by the pick -up is removed from the upper surface of the record. Simultaneously with the raising of the tone arm, cam 43 acts through lever 50 and the-associated mechanism hereinbefore described, to swing lever 54, rotating shaft 53 and swinging tone arm 53 outwardly from the center of the record. In this manner the tone arm 50 is automatically removed from its position over the turntable 2. During rotation of the cam 43 the contact member 44 upon the rear face of said cam'. comes into contact with arm 30 of lever 35 and said lever is rocked about the shaft 20, thereby imparting 1ongitudinal movement to the link 22- which, in turn,

cants lever I8 and brings button 2I into registration with the pin II. As has been hereinbefore' described in thus positioning button 2| in coincidence with pin II, the lowermost record of the stack of records 40 threads itself upon button 2|,

the entire stack of records being supported by the upper end of the shaft 5. g

A relatively short interval after contact of the member 44 with arm 33. the upraised member 45 upon the front face of the cam 43 contacts the inclined surface 4| of follower 40 and rocks arm 35 in an opposite direction, thereby bringing button 2I to a concentric position with respect to shaft 5 thereby carrying lowermost record therewith and threading the same on shaft 5 and hence,

depositing said record upon the turntable.

When the record has been deposited upon the turntable 2 in the manner hereinbefore described and cam 43 continues its rotation, the tone arm is moved by means of the shaft and the associate mechanism 00 which contacts pin 45 to a position immediately above the initialconvolutions upon the record. Previous to this operation, howi ever, pin 9| carried by plate 55 in swinging counterclockwise during the removal of the tone arm 50 from its position over the record, contacts plate is and resets the butterfly mechanism a,

that is, positions said mechanism asshown in full lines. in Fig. 6. When the cam 43 has made one complete revolution, the follower I33 carried by lever I04 drops into the indentation I03 upon the cam 43 and, hence, tone arm 50 is lowered until the needle carried by pick up II engages the initial convolutions upon the record.

An arm I00 may be rigidly connected to lever M4 and may terminate in clamp III which is action of the piston 3 within the cylinder III.

. corneas pin I08 which, in turn. extends" upwardly through Consequently, the needle carried by the pick up 5! descends gently to the surface ofthe record.

When the tone arm assumes its position over the initial convolutions upon the record. and has dropped theieto, cam 43 will be positioned as shown best in Fig. 9. A pin H4 is mounted upon the surface of the sleeve 91 adjacent gear I 00. A lug I Il may be pivotally mounted at I I6 upon the plate 33, said lug being normally impelled in a counterclockwise direction about said pivot point by means of leaf spring 1. However, said counterclockwise motion is limited by pin I I8 positioned upon the surface of plate I03. The lug I I5 is provided with an inclined edge I I9-which is disposed adjacent the path of travel ogi-pin I I4 when gear I 00 is in mesh with gear 94. 5 The arrangement is such that upon completion of one revolution of cam 43,.pin 4 contacts the-inclined surface III of lug H5 and rocks said lug-against the impellingforce of spring I". However, when go the maximum impulse of said spring has been reached, the sleeve SI slides longitudinally along shaft 35 thereby disengaging gears I00 and 94 and bringing cam 43 to a stationary position. Simultaneously with the sliding of the sleeve 9'! upon 25 the shaft 05, shaft 03 is rocked and pin 0l,carried upon said shaft is positioned adjacent the lower surface of the arm I4 whereby the mechanism is set to engage gears I 00 and 94 when the tone arm so positions itself as to spring the butterso fly mech 63.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 7 and 8, a lug I may be mounted upon the upper surface of the plate "and a lever I2I may bepivotally mounted upon said lug at I22. One end of thesis lever I2I may be provided with a notch I23 which is adapted to engage with lug I24 mounted upon the body of the platform I. A spring I25 upon lever 22 may have one end posi-' tioned over the top of the lever I2I and may" 40 normally impel that end of the lever downwardly so as to secure engagement between the lug I24 and the slot I23. The opposite end of the lever I2I may be positioned immediately beneath pin I23 carried by the cross member I4; A plate I21 may be rigidly connected to the lever I0 as shown best at m in Figs. 7 and a, and a lug I29 may (be mounted upon the lower surface of the cross member 14 adjacent the upper portion of the plate I21. 1

When the last record has been removed from the magazine, the plate I3, pins I2 and cross member 14 will have descended to the position shown in Fig. 7 and the pin I20 will have contact'ed the end of the lever' I2I, thereby raising 56 v motion of the lever I0 and the cross member I4. 60

Inasmuch as the cross member I4 is immovable with respect to lateral motion-of the slidable plate I0, any force exerted by lever 22'willnot rock lever I0 but will tend to move the entire lever assembly in a lateral direction. At this period this motion may be accomplished since the anchoring lug I24is disengaged from the slot or notch I23. Consequently, when cam 43 m-' tates in such a manner as to contact the inclined surface u of the arm 33,1aterai motion is im- 10 parted to the plate I0 and, consequently, the entire mechanism mounted upon said plate and the .pin II including button II. is bro ht into coincidence 'with theturntable shaftl:

The plate "is operatively connected at I30 1|.

to the upper end of lever I3I pivotally mounted uponthe support I32 which, in turn, may be positioned upon the upper surface of the platform I. The lower end of lever I3I is connected to the slidable assembly I33 shown best in. Fig. 1. The assembly I33 may carry at one end member I34 provided with slot I35 into which the upper end of lever I33 may be positioned. Consequently, when plate I3 is moved by lever 35,

said motion is transmitted by means of lever I3I to the slidable member I33, and consequently, the rocking motion is imparted to lever I33.

Lever I33 may be pivotally connected intermediate its length to lug I31 mounted upon the surface of plate 33 as shown best at I38 in Fig. 3. The opposite. end of lever I33 may be plvotally connected to link. I33 which, in turn may be pivotally connected to arm I43. Rod I having a bent, portion I42 may be rotatably mounted in the bearingsl43 and I44 and arm I43 may be rigidly mounted upon said .rod. Hence, lateral motion of the slidable assembly I33 rocks lever I33 which motion is transmitted through the various linkages hereinbefore described to rod I, said rod being rotated in such a manner as to dispose the plane of the bent portion I42 either parallel to or at right angles to the plane of the plate 33.

When lever 35, being actuated by cam 43, posi-' tions pin I1 and turntable shaft 5 in a coaxial relation, lever I3I will shift the slidable assembly I33 in such a manner as to rotate rod I and position the plane of the bent portion I42 of said red at right angles to the face of the plate 33. At this period the gear I33 is in mesh with the gear 34 inasmuchas cam 43 rotates. However, when the pin II4 carried upon the surface of the sleeve 31 rotates substantially 33 degrees from its normal position, said pin contacts the inclined surfacemf the bent portion I42 and is forced outwardly thereby disengaging gears 34 and I33 and stopping the rotation of cam 43.

-'Gear 34 mounted upon shaft 32 normally meshes with gear I43 mounted upon shaft I43 which, in turn, is positioned upon the plate 33.

Gear "I41 is also mounted upon shaft I43 and turns as a unit with gear I43. Gear I41 is adapted to mesh with gear I43 which is loosely mounted upon shaft I43. A ratchet I53 is also loosely mounted upon shaft I43 and turns as a unit with gear I43. A collar l3l is also loosely mounted uponshaft I43 and carries pawl- I32 which may be piyotally mounted upon the annular flange I53 of sleeve I3I. A spring I34 may be anchored at one end upon the flange I33, the opposite end of said spring bearing upon the .end

of pawl I32 and normally impelling the contacting end I55 thereof radially toward the ratchet wheel I53. It can readily be seen that the construction is such that normally the gear I43 and ratchet I33 revolve when the motor 3 is in oper-- ation. However, until the pawl I32 operatively contacts the ratchet wheel, the sleeve I3I will remain stationary.

A pin I53 is mounted upon the lower surface of the slidable assembly I33 "and extends downwardly therefrom. Innermal operation that is, when a record is being reproduced upon the tum= table and also during the period when a record is being transferred from the magazine to the turntable, the pin I33 engages the endo! the pawl I52 and depresses the-same against-the impelling force of spring I34 thereby disengaging the pawl I52 from the ratchet wheel I53.

However, during the period that the reproduced- ,so positioned with records upon the turntable are returned to the magazine, the platform I3 has been shifted to bring the pin I1 into coaxial relationship with the turntable shaft 3 and, consequently, lever I3I has been rocked thereby slidably displacing the 5 mechanism I33. This, in turn, removes the pin I53 from its position upon the end of pawl I32 and permits the operative point I53 of the pawl to engage the ratchet I53,

As has been hereinbefore described, gear I43 10 and ratchet wheel I33 are normally rotating, consequently, when pawl I32 engages ratchet wheel I53 the collar I5I turns with the ratchet wheel I 33.and gear I43 as a unit.

A cam I51 is also loosely mounted upon the i3 shaft I43 and is adapted to turn with the collar I5I as a unit. A guide plate I53 may be mounted upon the lower surface of the platform I and is provided with a groove I33 in which the follower I33 is adapted to slide. The upper end of fol- 20 lower I33 carries roller I3I which is adapted to be carried by the peripheral surface of the cam A bar I32 may be mounted'upon the lower surface of the platform I and may depend down- 35 wardly therefrom, said bar carrying at its lower extremity a screw I33. A lever I34 provided with a slot I35'at one of its ends is slidably positioned over the screw I33. Intermediate the length of the lever the same is-pivotally attached 30 to the lower end of the follower I33 as'shown best at I33 in Fig. 4.

A tubularsleeve I31 is mounted upon the lower surface of the platform I and extends downwardly from said platform. A rod I33 is slid- 35 ably positioned within the sleeve I31, said red at its upper end supporting platform I33 which is positioned immediately beneath the turntable 2. The platform I33 is annular in shape and normally, that is,. during periods of reproduction 40 assembly I33 has so shifted as to permit pawl I52 to engage ratchet wheel I53 andthereby rotating the sleeve I 5] and, hence, rotating cam I51. As 33 the cam rotates, roller I3I following thesurface of the cam is raised upwardly thereby drawing lever I34 upwardly. Blots I33 may be-provided upon diametrically opposite surfaces of the tubular member I31, said slots being adapted to 55 accommodate the end of the lever I34. As said lever travels upwardly, rod I38 is also projected upwardly carryin platform I33 and, hence. turntable 2. At this period, the reproduced records being carried by the turntable are, transferred 00 from shaft 3 to pin I1.

when all of the records have been transferred to the pin I1, lug I13 positioned upon the side of cam I51 contacts the edge I13" of the slidable assembly I33 and shifts plate I3 so as to'offset pin I-1 from shaft 3. However, at this period pin I26 does not contact the end of lever I2I and. hence, slot or notch I23 re-engages lug I24 and relocks lever I2I and beam 1. Consequently, button 2|. remains in ooncentric'position with shaftii and one record, the lowermost record. remains upon the turntable 2. I

At this period pin I13 carried by sleeve III is respect to the cam l51that pin no contacts I-1I"carried by shaft as 7 thereby rotating said shaft, shifting collar 81 and re-engaging gears I88 and '84. In this manner the tone arm is brought to playing position upon the record which has descended with the turntable.

As cam 48 continues its rotation, pin II4 carried upon collar 81 contacts the'inclined surface- I I8 of lug I I8 and gear I88 is thereby disengaged from gear 84. However, as has been hereinbefore described, this action does not take place until cam 48 has so rotated as to bring tone arm to into initial playing tion and roller m m the indentation I88.

If it is desired to re reduce 'a record upon the turntable which has just completed reproduction, the levers 28 and 88 may be disconnected by disengaging key 82 from slot 88. To accomplish this a lever I12 may be pivotally mounted upon the upper surface of the platform I as shown at I13 in Fig. 1. One end of said lever may be provided with lug "4 which, when said lever is,

thereby raising the opposite: end thereof out of slot 88. Hence, when cam 48 rotates, tone arm 88 will be removed from the center of the record to its inoperative position outside the periphery of the turntable. Lever 88 will be actuated by the projections 44 and 48 but said motion will not be transmitted to lever 28, hence, a record will not be released from the magazine. -When cam 48 has completed 180 degrees of its rotation, tone arm 88 returns to its initial playing position over the record and the needle carried by pick up 5| is dropped to the initial convolutions upon the record; In this manner the reproduction of any desired record upon the turntable may be repeated as long as levers 24 and 88 are mechanically disconnected.

It can readily be seen that when cam I81 has completed one rotation, pin Il may be brought to a position eccentric with turntable shaft 8. The motion which has brought about this eccentricity also shifts the slidable assembly I88 which,

in turn, positions pin I88 over the path of travel of pawl I82 and, consequently, said pawl is raised from contact with the ratchet I88 thereby permitting gear I48 and ratchet I88 to idle upon' shaft I 8 It is apparent that inasmuch as tone arm is automatically positioned upon the initial configurations of the record upon the turntable, if records of diiferent diameters are to be played upon my device, provision must be made for the difi'erent positioning of the tone arm 88 upon the initial convolutions of the record. Phonograph records at the present time are substantially standardized in two sizes namely, 10 inch records and 12 inch records. Assume for the sake of example that both sizes are indiscriminately contained'withinthe stack 48.

To position automatically the tone arm properly upon the initial convolutions of a record regardless r .whether it is a 10 inch or 12 inch record, I may provide a lever "8 which may be pivotally mounted upon the plate I'I8 positioned upon the lower surface of the platform I. The upperend of said lever is formed as shown best at I" inF'ig. 3 with a portion of its surface adiacent the periphery of the record descending from the pin I! to the turntable shaft 8; The lower end of said lever may carry lug I18 and may be connected to Bar 88' mounted adjacent rod I18 which terminates in finger the aperture 04 m aomsas flanged ends I8I, said ends may serve as bearings for pin I82 which is adapted to carry member I88, said member being pivotally mounted with respect to the bar 88 and disposed parallel thereto. A finger I84 may be carried by the member I88, said finger-being adapted to rotate member I88 about shaft or pin I82. When member I88 .is disposed in a plane parallel to the bar 88, said member bontacts pin 88 mounted upon arm 84 and consequently the motion of the plate 88 which 10 carries the bar 88 is imparted to pin 88 by the contact of said pin with the member I88. If member I84 is so rotated as to be positioned at right angles to'bar 88, the eifective contact of the plate 88 with the pin 88 will be delayed a distance equal to the thickness or width of member I88, said width may be so calculated with the lever arms and tone arm 88 as to compensate for the difference in diameter 01a 10 inch and 12 inch record. I

' 20 In operation, when a 10 inch record is released from the magazine and falls to the turntable. said record will not .contact the upper endIIl of lever I18 and, consequently, member I88 will remain disposed'parallel to bar 88 and said mem- 28 ber will contact pin 88 and will serve'as the motivating element in moving tone arm'88 to its position over the initial convolutions of the 10 inch record. If a 12 inch record drops from the magazine to the turntable, the edge of said record 80.

will contact the end I" of lever I18 and will. rotate said lever in a clockwise direction. Hence, rod I18 will be moved to a position immediately above the path of travel of finger I84. As can readily be seen the record dropping from the as magazine to the turntable drops when the tone arm 88 is at its outermost position with respect to the turntable. Consequently, contact with the lever I I1 does not take place until pin 88 is in contact with edge 81 of the aperture 84. When 40 com 48 continues itsrotation to bring tone arm 88 back to the initial playing position upon the record, finger I84 contacts finger I88 upon rod I18 and thereby rotates member I88 through an angle of 90 degrees and positions said member at right angles to the bar 88. Consequently the 'throw of the arm 84 is decreased by the amount of the width of the member I 88 and by proper calculation of the various moment arms said width will correspond to the difference in throw so of the tone arm for a 12 inch record. Hence, the tone arm will descend with respect to the turntable at a greater distance from thecenter of: said turntable thanwould otherwise be the case if member I 88 remained in its parallel rela- 88 tion with bar 88.

'If the next record in the magazine'happens to be a 10 inch record, of course provision must be made to both rock lever H8 in a counterclockwise direction to remove finger I88 from above the 80 path of travel of finger I84, and to replace member I88 from its position at right angles to bar 88 to. a position parallel and coplanar with respect to said bar; To accomplish this I may provide lug I88 upon plate 88, said lug being 05 of the sleeve 82and may be provided with an extension I8I threadedly positioned in the end of which is an adjustable screw I88. .Whenjplate A plate I88 may be mounted upon the lower end I 78 plate 83 may be provided with upwardly tunic 88 moves to swing tone arm" to'its inoperative 18 position outside the periphery of the turntable, screw I88 "contacts finger I84 carried by member I83 and rotates said finger ina counterclockwise direction thereby bringing the plane otmember I83 into coincidence with the plane of the bar 86.

Consequently, when cam'48 continues the remaining half of its rotation, pin 88 will be contacted by the edge of member I88 and the tone arm 80 will be swung to a position immediately above the initial convolutionso the 10 inch record.

when all of the' rds have dropped in sequence from the mag e to the turntable, and the turntable is raised \by the cam I81. it can readily be seen that any 12 inch 'records which 15 may have previously been played and are new contained in the pile upon the turntable, will contact the portion I11 01 lever I18 and will rock said lever in a clockwise direction thereby positioning finger I80 immediately above the path of travel 20 or finger I84. However, the lowermost record may be a 10 inch record whereas finger I80 is so positioned as to rock member I88 out of operative position, that is, the mechanism would be set for a 12 inch record. To compensate for this condition an arm I89 may be mounted intermediate the length of the lever I84 and may be provided with an extension I80 which, when arm I84 is raised to return the records upon the turntable to the magazine makes contact with lug I18 and rotates lever I15 in a counterclockwise direction thereby positioning finger I80 out 0! the path of travel of finger I84. Hence, when thelowermost record is to be reproduced, tone arm 50 will be automatically positioned upon the outer convolutions of said 'record which, in the illustrated case, is a 10 inch record.

If the lowermost record happened to be a 12 inch record, the lever I11 during the raising of the records upon the turntable would be rocked 40 in a clockwise direction; extension I80 would then act to rock lever I15 in a clockwise direction.

I However, inasmuch as the lowermost record is in this case a 12 inch record, lever I15 would again be rocked in a clockwise direction thereby positioning finger I80 above the path of travel oi finger I84 and tone arm 58 would be positioned over the initial convolutions oi'. the 12 inch record. A lever I9I may be pivotally mounted upon the upper surface of theplatiorm I at I92. A rod 5 I98 may be mounted upon the end of the lever I9I and may be provided intermediate its length with an offset portion I84. A pin I88 may extend upwardly from the upper surface of lever I8 I If a 12 inch record is being reproduced upon the turntable and it is desired to repeat the reproduction of said record, lever I8I may be rocked in a clockwise direction thereby afiecting the contact of the offset I84 with the upper portion of lever I15, in this manner positioning finger I80 immediately above the path of travel-oi the finger I84.

" Simultaneously, lever I12 will be rocked about the I pivot point I13 and the inclined lug I14 carried at the end of lever I12 will act to disconnect the levers 28 and 35. In this manner, the record releasing mechanism will be disconnected from the remaining portion of the machine and the finger-I80 will be so' positioned as to rock member I83 'to a right angled position with respect to the plane of the face of bar 86. Consequently. on the return travel of the c 48, tone arm -will be positioned immediately above the initial convolution of the 12 inchrecord. 1

It frequently happens that a machine of this type will remain unplayed for relatively :long

'75 periods of time. It also happens that theoperator may not have anopportunityto remove th e unplayed record from the magazine previous to rendering the machine inoperative. It the rec;- ords 48' were to remain suspended in the, magazine, that is, hanging uponthe oilset button,;2l,, sai records would warp it maintained in this positio for a relatively long period of time. Consequently I have provided means whereby the machine, when being shut oil, will continue to deposit the records.

from the magazine to the turntable without re- 10 producing them until all of saidrecords have been deposited upon the turntable, at which period the turntable will raise-and thread therecords upon the pin I1. However. the turntable instead of returning to its normal position will remain in 15 its upraised position supporting the records within the magazine atwhich period the motor will be disconnected. By this means I provide adequate support for the records in the magazine and said machine may be rendered inoperative for 20 -an indefiniteperiod without causing said records to warp.

To accomplish this purpose I may provide a switch handle 188 which, when in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, permits normal, .con-v 25 "tinuous operation of the magazine whereas when shifted to the position shown in dotted lines, permits the operation above mentioned.

A rod I81 may be pivotally mounted intermediate its length upon the lower surface of the plat- 30 form. One end oi, said rod, namely, end I98 is normally positioned beneath arm 12 01' the'butterfiy mechanism 88. The opposite end or saidrod may be depressed by the movement of the switch handle I88 when said handle-is moved from 35 its full line position to its dotted line position, and thereby the end I88 01 the rod I91 will be elevated thereby springing the butterfly mechanism and causing the same to rotaterod 88 engaging gears I00 and 84. This operation immediately 40 sets cam 48 into rotation whereby the tone arm 80 -is raised and swung putwardly from the periphery oi the turntable to its inoperative posi-' tion. Upon reaching its outermost travel the pin 8i carried upon the plate 55 which, in turn,.45'

is carried upon the end of arm 84 tends to reset the butterfly mechanism. However. the rod I81 possesses sufilcient resilience to permit the but terfiy mechanism to be reset into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 6. However, immediso ately upon the return oi the tone arm 80 toward the turntable, the resiliency 0! rod I81 asserts itself and springs the butterfly mechanism to again inter-mesh gears I00 and 84 which immediately causes the tone arm to again rise aud os pass to'its outermost position with respect to the turntable. 1

0! course, during these operations for every movement of the tone arm a record will be deposited upon the tumtable which record, 'how- 60 ever, will not be played inasmuch as the tone arm is removed from the record as soon as it assumes its initial playing position due to the fact that the butterfly mechanism continues to re-engage gears I00 and 84. ,jlhis operation continues until 05 all 0! the records in the magazine have been deposited upon the turntable. At this period, as has been hereinbeiore de-' scribed, the plate Ill and lever 22 move as a unit and consequently the slidable assemb ill will 7 be dispiaced. A pin 499' maybe positioned upon r the upper surface 0! the extension I84 oi. the slidable mechanism I38 andsaid, pin is adapted to be engaged by the bifurcated arm 288which may. be pivotallymounted" intermediate its length 76 upon nn r surface of the p fitfornrl shown best at 20I in Fig. l. 'rheioppositefpndi 1 V of the arm 200 may carry the contacting member I 202 which in one position engages the contacting member 203 whereas in the opposite position engages the contacting member 204. In other words, during the shifting of the slidable mechanism I33 the contacting member 202 normally contacting member 203 is shifted to contact with the contacting member 204. I

Referring particularly to Fig. 12 wherein schematic diagram of the electrical connections is shown, A and B indicate a source of electric current. Switch 205, which is the control switch of the circuit, may be positioned in 'one line 206 which connects terminal A to motor M which correspondsto motor 3. Terminal B may be connected by means of 201 to switch 203 operated by switch handle I96. During normal, continuous operation of my device, switch 203 is so positioned as to connect directly to motor 3 through line 209. When switch handle I96 is so positioned as to move the end I93 of rod I91 into contact with arm "of the butterfly mechanism 69, switch 200 is positioned in contact with terminal 2I0 which may connect :terminal B by means of line 2 with-contacting member 204 which, inturn, is connected by means of line 2I2 to contacting member 203 normally in contact with contacting member 202 which,- in turn, is

connected to motor 3 by means of line.2l3.'

When switch 208 is so connected to terminal 2I0, electrical energy is furnished to motor 3 from contacting member 203 to contacting member 202. However, when the last record in the magazine has been'deposited upon the turntable and the tone arm has swung toits initial playing position and gears I00 and 94 have been brought. into mesh, plate I0 and lever 22 then acting as a unit shift the slidablemechanism I33. At this period, however, energy to the motor is dependent upon contact between the contacting members 202 and 203 and as soon as said contact is broken, the motor 3 stops. As can readily be seen said contact is broken when turntable 2 has so risen as to thread the records carried upon its to directly connect terminal, B with motor 3 which, as has been hereinbefore described is the normal continuous operating position. Y

I claim as my invention:

1. Ina phonograph, a'rotating shaft, a record turntable slidably mounted upon said shaft, a.

magazine comprising a shaft positioned above said turntable and norm?lly eccentric with respect to said tur table shaf means for slidably raising said turn able along said tln'ntable shaft to thread a record from theturntable upon the magazine shaft comprising means for bringing said two shafts into coaxial" relationship, and means for oilsetting said magazine shaft with respect to the turntable shaft to retain the record in threaded positionupon the magazine shaft. A 2. In combination, a rotatable shaft, a turntable mounted upon said shaft, a magazine comprising a spindle normally maintained in eccen-. tric position with respect to said turntable shaft, means for moving said spindle into coaxial relationship with said shaft, means for raising the in. toj jsaid 'shaft to .said icombination, fajrotatable shaft; 9. turnj tab! mounted upon said. shaft, a magazine comprising a spindle positionedabove said turntable, is a plurality of phonograph records threaded upon said spindle, and meansmounted upon said'spindie for. releasing a recordfrom' said spindle and threading it upon the shaft comprising a swingablel'pinmounted in a slot provided in said spindie, a head carried by said pin of a transverse dimension not greater than any aperture in a phonograph record, a phonograph record threaded onsaid head, and means for-offsetting said head with respect to 'said spindle and into coaxial l5 relationship with respect to said shaft.

. 4... 1n; combination, a rotatable shaft, a tin-ntable mounted upon said-shaft, a magazine comprising a spindle positioned above said turntable uponpwhich a plurality of phonograph records 20- may be threaded, a swingable pin mounted in a slot provided in said spindle, a head carried by said pin of a transverse dimension not greater f than an aperture in a phonograph record and of a thickness less than the thickness of a phono- 86 graph record, means for disposing said head into coaxial relationship with said spindle to thread a record from said spindle upon said head, means for disposing. said head into coaxial relationship with said shaft to releasesaid record from said 30 .head to. said shaft.

5. In a phonograph, a rotating shaft, a record turntabler-slidably mounted upon said shaft, a magazine comprising a' laterally movable shaft positioned above said turntable and normally :8 eccentric with respect to said turntable shaft,

' means forr ing said turntable and means for threading a r 0rd from the turntable upon the magazine shaft comprising meansfor bringing said two shafts into coaxial relationship, and 40 means associated with the magazinesh'aft for of!- setting said magazine shaft with respect to said turntable shaft to retain said record in threaded position upon the magazine shaft.

a 6. In a phonograph, a rotating shaft, a phono- 45 graph record turntable mounted upon said sha-ft'.

. a magazine positioned above said turntable, a tone arm disposed adjacent said turntable. means for swingin said tone arm a normal distance into playing position upon a record of predetermined 50.

diameter, and means for shortening the normal length of the arc through which said tone arnr travels when a relatively large record is deposited on the turntable from the magazine comprising a rotatable shaft, a connecting rod eccentrically 55 positioned with respect to said shaft, a member carried bysaid rod operatively associated with said tone arm, means for swinging said member to effectively lengthen said rod with respect to its association with said tone arm, said member 66 swinging means being actuated by the depositing of a record from the magazine to the turntable, and comprising a pivoted lever normally disposed in the path of travel of a relatively large record from the magazine to the turntable. 65

7..In aphonographi a rotating shaft, a turntable slidably mounted upon said shaft, a magazine for holding a plurality of records positioned above said turntable for depositing records in seriatim from said magazine to said turntable.

turntable to thread a record from said turntable in sai magazine, and automatic means for mainupon said spindle, and means for offsetting said taining said turntable in upraised position supporting said records in said magazine when all of the records in said magazine are played.

8. In a phonograph, a turntable, a motor for driving said turntable, a magazine for phonograph records, means operable by said motor for depositing a plurality of records in sequence from breaker to the motor, and means for actuating said circuit breaker to break the circuit when said records are returned to the magazine from the turntable.

9. In combination, an automatic phonograph 5 comprising a turntable, a tone arm disposed adjacent said turntable, a rotatable member upon which said tone arm is mounted, an arm upon said rotatable member, a pin mounted upon said last mentioned arm, a link movable adjacent said 1 arm, said link being provided with an aperture in which said pin is inserted, the defining edge of said aperture being 'adaptedto contact said pin and move said arm, and means for changing the dimension of the aperture in the direction of 15 travel of said link.

l BENJAMIN L. GATES. 

